Wheel-alining gage.



C. L. BOWDEN. WHEEL AUNING GAGE. MPLXCATION FILED rmzs. ms.

mama May 7,1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

fltllt gfifl camns pnousnn nowns permeation of Letter Patent: 1 Paton-ted May 7, 1918.

the axle and the same member be used with re WEEk mHW 1MB: :1

'i ieosseo. in us. I, J m j 4pp1ioatlon filed February 26, 1916. -8eria1Ho. 80.617.

, i ll whom it ma con/cam.-

snt P l kn n t at L Cu'anms Lnoxauo when, of Chicago, county of Cook, and in of Ill1no1s, have invented a new ii'seful Improvement in \Vheel-Alining g; ggos ofwwhieh the following is a specifisi i a ngue with each other greater resistance m encountered in mor ng the vehicle and ners ,ener'gy' is necessar l expanded in the figrni of traction. Furt or, greater wear and strain are doveloficd on the Vehicle in usg wearing out the earings more or less rfi jigegularly, and putting undue strains on mi r1545 ni the ear. In the case of automobiles ga (L VQhIQlQS airing rubber tires an incorrect {H mep ent of the wheels occasions serious gen/ear and IS the cause, often, of wearing i rubber tire quickly which amounts to fgi dgrns derable financial loss.

' for measuring theadjustmont of FY11 Y o Wheels in relation to each other have ova o w} beeii heretofore used but have been so w en sy, ggwkward, inconvenient and of such "their use has not been very general, n'gljt no time entirely satisfactory.

n object of this invention is to proride nge "alract'erthat mistakes were easily made,

t :Jl

e56 sosiniple and convenient in use that w 1; be largely employed to prevent loss *"labkof alineinent of the wheels of mu chilies, and a further object is to do this,

Io t'klistalrbini any part of the vehicle,

jg? imiinner at any nelson alongside e"'v'oh1c1e may soe at a g once the conchas to nlinement. With these ends in 5} lithe d stance between the outer face a,- fellles ofa pairof wheels is Incasboth in front and rear of the axle and at a height equal tothatof the axle. For making such measurements, use is made of an extensible base or .bar supported by the" floor and having at each end upwardly extendin members or arms, one bearing an inwar 1y projecting contact member to make contact with the lateral face of the'felly of one wheel, and the other bearing two analous members mounted side by side toslide mde endently to and from the outer face of the elly of the companion wheel of the pair. These two sliding mtinbers are rov'ided with scales and ing them indepe dently. If the first member mentioned be used with oneiof the sliding member to obtain the width in front of en the wheels of a vehicle not pro p- Krovision is made or lockthe other of the two sliding members to ascertain the width in the rear of the axle, two widths will his registered side by side so that any variation will be known by mere inspection.

lieflltlltlt' will he lnul to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a front (h-ration of a pair of automobile wheels with my gage in position of measurement.

Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to that of Fig. 1. fig. 3 is a plan detail of the indexing scales or measuring rules. Fig. 4 is an (lt'HlliUll of the devices of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 1s a .\(L'l'i(il1 on the line .'i-5. Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a section on line G G of Fig. i. Fig. 1' is a section on line T-T of Fig. 1.

In the drawing 1 indicates" the rubber tires of an automobile vehicle. 2 the rims 0t the wheels. and 3 the follies. i indicates the usual. knuckles of the jointed axles of the front wheels. 5 indicates one arm of irv gage frame, and 6 indicates the other arm. These arms are .t-onnectcd togcthornt 'the contra l portions by telescoping section 7 and are svi'nrrtl together in an desired position by the thumb screws 9'. this part of the structure L'Olbiiilllllig a longitudinally extensible base which is provided with feet or blocks 10 which rest on the floor and sustain the gage in an upright posit ion when desirgjd.

At thorighl cm] 1; of my gage I prc ido the rogistvriugor contact block 11 which is mounted to Hlltlt in the tubular 0nd of arm (3 and is secured in any suitable adjustment by the thumb screw 12, Y The end 13 is r uml'otl off slightly to make neat contact, surface for engagement with the folly or iii 1 of the wheel. in the loft ari'n 5 there is mounted the spindle 1 h which is held in any desired adjustment by the thumb screw 15 in the some manner as block 11. On the top of spindle 14 there is mounted a keeper block 16 carrying sliding rules or measuring scales 17 and 18, and these rules are secured in any desired position by thumb screws 19 and 20 the projections 21, 22 limiting the sliding oi the scales in the blocit 16.

1oz WVhen the instrument iscarried about in the garage or not in use as two sections 5 storage andhandling v r In use the arms are ad usted approxiand rotated to brin in the two widths regis mately' the age is laid upon the floor pushed beneat h the rear side of the wheels:

right position and al ow the blocks 10 to rest upon the floor, as shown. The members 11 and 14 are then adjusted to suit the height of the axles, 13 is brou ht against the fe ly on one side and one 0 the scale bars, 0. g. 22, is moved against the folly of the oomi anion 'wheel and fixed by the setscrew 19.

he instrument is then rotated to the floor, withdrawn, and similarl set u on the front side of the wheels, t e mom 1' 13 being brought against the folly as before and the other scale bar is ad'usted against the corresponding felly and c amped. The two sealesithen s ow at a glance any variation tered, that is indicate without calculations or reliance upon unseen work of other persons the conditions as to alinement.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a floor supported base having an upwardly extendin arm at each end, of a member projectingh aterally from one of said arms to meet t e lateral face of a wheel, two analo us longitudinally adjustable members si e by side projecting in the opposite direction from the other arm and 1n approximate alinement with the member first mentioned, to meet the lateral faced a second wheel upon the same axle, and means for i'ndependentl securing said analogous members in any esired adj ustment.

2. The combination with a base adapted to stand in stable position upon a plane floor,

of an inwardly extendin member supported by and above one end 0 the base in position for making contact with the outer lateral face of a wheel rim, two scale bearing contact members approximately alining with the member first mentioned supported side by side by and above the opposite end of the base and arranged/for independent adjustment to and from the corres onding part of the rim of a companion w eel upon the same axle, and means for independently V locking said two contact members, whereby the arms 5, 6 to up-.

a pair of wheels having been gaged upon one side of their center by the use of one of said two members may be gaged upon the opposite side by the use of the other of said two members and the amount of any variation may be indicated b the adjacent scales.

3. In a device of the c ass described 11 age base adapted to span the outside of ve icle wheels, supporting blocks on the back of the base adapted to rest on the door and support the base with its arms in an upright position, a contact piece mounted on one arm of the base in a manner to be adjusted to the center line of the wheels when the base is supported upright on its blocks, a plurality of measurin devices mounted on the other gage arm a apted to be adjusted up and own and to and from the wheel edges, and separate means for locking each measuring device.

4. A floor supported Eggs base hearing at one end a contact mem r adjustable to the height of the axle and at the other end adjacent scalc bars similarly adjustable and independently slidable to make contact with a wheel, and means for locking the scale bars; whereb in using one scale bar to measure the wi th of the pair of wheels in front of the axle and the other scale bar to measure the'width in the rear of the axle, the two measurements appear side by side.

5. The combination with a floor sup orted base baigof adjustable length provide at its ends with upwardly extending arms to lie outside the planes, respectively of the pair of wheels an inwardly projecting contact menberlborl'nde onei ob said arms, indepen e y'si a e'scae ars ro'ectin o positel inward fl om the o gosi'te oi sai d arms, in-cans by which the iei ht of said memb and bars may be ad usted, and {)neans'for independently locking the two ars. 5;

In witness whereof, I herewith subscribe my name on this 19th day of February, 1916.

CHARLES LEONARD ,BOWDEN. Witn:

J. Ma SomLLmo, R. EMoMmoN. 

